8 Inch - $4.99

14 Inch - $14.99 

15 Inch Square - $28.99 

Regular $6.99 to $44.00 

Heavy Blooming All Season Long!

#2 Can Espaliered - Reg. $49.98 

Fuchsia, Impatiens, Petunia & More

Reg. $16.99 to $46.99 

 Let Scenic Nursery's Garden Crew handle your spring maintenance! Whether your yard needs refurbishing, seasonal pruning and maintenance, cleanup or a whole new look; the Garden Crew can help. We use natural pruning techniques, superior plants and flowers, and Master Nursery products to keep your garden flourishing all year long.

Call to schedule an appointment with a Garden Crew professional to see what we can do for you. These are some of the services available from the Garden Crew:

• Design and install new gardens. 
• Refurbish gardens by removing old or unwanted landscaping.
• Keep gardens healthy and beautiful with periodic services to plant annuals and perennials, prune shrubs and trees, fertilize and more.
• Help you design and install outdoor living spaces using Interlocking Paving Stones

 Come in and see our display patios and waterfall!

I was surfing the internet yesterday when I came across some really lovely photos that one of our customers took on a trip to the nursery! Thank  you Megan for permission to post your great photos!

To see more of Megan's photos go to her Flickr site here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/organicpixel/sets/72157602230221307/ 

How would you like to feature your garden on our website? Well, we are starting a new contest for our customers called Garden of the Month. Tell us about your garden and send photos of it with subject line "Garden of the Month" to This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Our first winner will be featured on June 1st, 2008, so send in your photos now!

Good luck, we can't wait to see your beautiful gardens!

Aphid is one of the most common garden pests. (Note that aphid is plural and aphis is singular.)  The common rose aphid attacks a broad range of plants,  including roses as one of its main victims.      

If you have aspirations to be an organic gardener what can you do? I have talked about it before, but what I do is depend on washing off the early aphid and using lady bugs and encarsia wasps as natural pest control.

We sell lady bugs and you can develop a native population of lady bugs. When you buy them you put them out in the evening, be sure there is moisture available where you put them, at the base of plants with aphid. What you are looking for is for them to lay eggs that hatch into lady bug larvae. These are miniature striped alligator looking bugs that actually are the best aphid eater.     

Annies Annuals is a small specialty nursery in the bay area. Because we are always interested in unusual plants, especially flowers, we make a special effort to bring in a selection of her plants. Most of the varieties are unique and in some cases I don't even recognize the plant at all.

Yes, I have succumbed to bring a few home for Donna and me to try.  If you enjoy trying truley unique and interesting plants come in and see what new plants we have.

From all of us! 

Today is the Vernal Equinox when the day is the same legnth as the night. That also means it's officially the first day of Spring! Take advantage of any Spring break your family is having this year and get out into the garden to work on projects. What better way to celebrate Mother Nature waking up?

There are gardening projects for children of all ages. Here are some ideas for your wee ones:

2-4 year olds will enjoy helping to sew seeds. Guild your little ones on how to sprinkle the seeds into prepared beds. Teach them how to gently cover up the seeds and water them in. Kids will also do very well planting seeds in starter trays or small pots. Have them help make and place signs so you both remember what got planted where! Use this as an opportunity to get your kids to eat more vegetables, even very young children are more likely to eat vegetables that they helped grow themselves!

5-6 year olds will love helping plant bedding plants. Come by the nursery and pick up one of our free planting guides, use it to help teach your children how deep to dig the whole and how far down to place the plant. Teach them how to water their new plants in and how to weed around them.

7-12 year olds will enjoy helping plan out the garden. Go out into the garden together and talk about what you'd like to see where. Make notes about areas of sun and shade and what side of the house that part of the garden is on. Bring your children down to the nursery and pick up one of our free garden design packets. Walk around the nursery and look at plants together. Teach your child about how some things like to grow in sun while some plants need more shade. Make your final choices together and get it all down on the garden design packet. At home prep the soil together and teach your child the difference between organic gardening and non organic, especially if you are working with edible plants. Talk about garden maintenance and to drive home the point give your child their own small area to be responsible for. Let the watch what happens when you do a good job... and what happens when you forget to water!

Teens and tweens 12 and up will really respond well to having more responsibility. Give your child their own large area such as the vegetable garden, or a bed or two in the back yard. Give them a budget to work with for the plants and make sure they have the right tools. Provide gardening books for them to reference, Sunset is a great book to start out with. Pick up one of our free garden design packets and sit back and see what your child comes up with. Who knows, you might ask them to design your whole garden next year!

As you drive around Modesto you see signs of spring starting. Pears in bloom, almonds in bloom and daffodils in bloom. Plants are beginning to wake up everywhere.
I took some pictures yesterday at the nursery to show you that spring is really here at Scenic Nursery. Several of the pictures are of the bedding plant department where spring is most noticeable. Color everywhere you look. Color bowls, bulbs, flowering bedding plants ready for you to take home to enjoy. We have the largest selection of annuals and perennials anywhere nearby.

We bring lots of unusual annuals and perennials from Annie's Annuals you won’t find anywhere within 50 miles.


Tomatoes are in including our specialty tomatoes grown for us exclusively. As the season progresses you will find many unusual peppers, eggplants as well as Oriental vegetables.

  Our bedding color area

A view of the herb area 

Organic gardening means different things to different people. As a nursery owner I have one answer, as a gardener I have a different one and as a "Tree Hugger" I have a third. I intend to share some tips in how to be a successful organic gardener

For me organic gardening starts with the soil. Many people and gardeners even think of the soil as just something to hold the roots of plants. Dead. Of no importance except it can be hard to dig or can hold too much water and kill their plants.

Organic gardeners know that is not true. Your soil is alive with a combination of bacteria, fungi and other organisms that change chemicals to nutrients plants can use, break down organic materials to humus, protect the roots of larger plants and in some cases unfortunatly attack the roots of desirable plants.

Do you remember hearing about top soil in elementary school? I did, but never understood what they were talking about. The reason? I have never lived where there is any top soil. Top soil is that soil with lots of organic material that has accumulated from tree leaves, dead grasses and other plant debris and broken down into true humus.

In most of California  there is no topsoil except maybe an inch or two. This is because of the long warm season that completely breaks down organic material and the long dry season that stops grasses and other small plants from growing except in the spring. Any organic material dissipates long before top soil develops.

If you are a reader of this blog you will know that I am a long time believer of mulching with “Humus” Here I mean undecomposed organic material like fine bark mulch. Not the humus of a soil chemist. I lived for almost twenty years in a section of Modesto with heavy clay soils. In fact it is the first heavy soils that Modesto covered up. As I have mentioned before I mulched several times with “Humus” . About two inches each time. This was not dug in, just put over the top. Before we moved Donna and I did some garden remodeling that put areas into garden that had not been mulched. Boy what a difference. The soil that had “humus put over it was completely different from the new garden soil.

Soft, Rich and alive!

To repeat, this soil had never been dug up by me; just mulched over the top. The mulch had allowed the microorganisms to multiply. The microorganisms broke down the undecomposed organic material into true humus that leached down in to the soil and completely changed it. The mulch helped with weed control. The mulch helped by keeping the soil cool for the plant roots. And finally the mulch turned the top 12 - 18” into top soil!

To me the basis of organic gardening starts with the soil!
 

I took a walk around my garden yesterday and would like to share some things I noticed.

First I saw the some signs that snails are active so I started my first snail baiting of the season. I saw tracks and some holes on my daffodil blooms.  If you have pet concerns use Monterey Sluggo. This is both pet safe and certified for organic gardens. 

I also noted a few of my perennials starting to come back but were showing signs they needed to be fertilized. I took care of that  by feeding them a dose of Formula 49. 

I saw healthy new growth on all my roses, including a few I planted this fall.  I had already fertilized these when I planted or pruned them.  I am already on the lookout for the first signs of aphid invasion.  At home I control them with a combination of simply washing them off,  and for season-long control I put out Lady bugs and encarsia wasp.  When spring weather comes each year the nursery sells both the lady bugs and the encarsia wasp.  A note about the wasps -  when I tell people about them they are expecting to see something the size of a bumble bee or yellow jacket wasp. Nothing could be farther from the truth.  Encarsia wasps are about the size of the smallest piece of ground pepper. Yes, ground pepper!  If you see swollen aphis mixed in with normal sized aphid what you are seeing is the result of having active wasps cleaning out the aphid.  All you need to do is wait a week or so and usually the aphid are either gone or almost gone. 

My Iceland poppies are in good bloom and my pansies are starting to show lots of color. I have some semi-dwarf snaps that are just starting to show buds. My daffodils are either showing color, or in the case of some l just planted, the bulbs are just coming up. I have some foxglove that will be starting to show buds soon, and my delphinium are just getting to the size of good snail food.  More Sluggo here please!

My Iceland Poppies  

I have a oriental magnolia tulip tree that is in full bloom now, and there are a couple of Bradford pears at the  street that are just coming into bloom.  Walking under them I'm reminded of one of the reasons Bradford pear have become less popular, at least at Scenic Nursery.The ground under the tree looks like I seeded a Dichondra lawn - there are  thousands of pear trees germinating! 

This is my Magnolia Alexandrena 2 years old in the ground 

Other than the pear, there are very few weeds. My challenge is to keep them from forming seed. If I can do that the possibilities of weed invasion drop dramatically. In fact I would say that is the very best thing you can do. I use a thick mulch of humus, 2" or more, as my first step. Then I keep any weeds out; this stops new weed seeds from getting deposited over the humus to sprout later. These are all organic gardening approved methods. If I get behind or the weeds get too bad I will use pre-emergents.

This is one of the nicest times to be out in the garden with the renewal and rebirth that comes with spring.  

Bring in spring with style...Scenic style that is! Since 1949, we've made it our business to provide superior plants, old-fashioned service and gardening success. This winter, our staff has been hard at work getting ready to welcome spring; we continue to expand our selection of unique perennials and shrubs, the heirloom tomatoes and specialty vegetables are selected and the warm weather annuals are arriving. Our Event Calendar is jam-packed with exciting events for all ages and interests. Most of these events are free and include raffles, refreshments and fun! As usual, all those in attendance will receive a special discount coupon. We invite you to come visit us and experience the Scenic difference for yourself - we promise you won't be disappointed!

March Calendar:

Houseplant Seminar - Saturday, March 1st - 10:00 am  /  Join us to learn about houseplant care & selection.

Bonsai For Beginners - Saturday, March 8th - 10:00 am / Our own Jungle Jim Rogers will give you all the info you need to get started with this fascinating hobby.

The Buzz On Bees - Saturday, March 8th - 1:00 pm  / Orin Johnson, past president of the California State Beekeepers Association will be here  to give  us the 'buzz on bees' & their important role in the garden. This event is for grownups & kids 8 years and up.

Herb Talk - Saturday, March 15th - 11:00 am  / Join us as we welcome Rose Loveall of Morningsun Herb Farm.

Citrus Tasting - Saturday, March 15th and Sunday, March 16th  -We will host a free citrus tasting featuring fruit from Four Winds Growers.

Easter Eggstravaganza - Saturday, March 22nd -/ Kids can make a bunny bag and then fill it on our annual egg hunt. Keep a look-out for 3 Golden Eggs!  Craft begins at 10:30 am  -  Egg Hunt begins at 11:00 am .

The Dirt On Dirt - Saturday, March 29th - 11:00 am  / Learn all about soil & fertilizers with Peggy Barse of Two Hands Gardening.

April Calendar

Lavender In Your Garden - Saturday, April 5th - 11:00 am / Learn about the different types of lavender and ways to use them. Featured speaker will be Alice Taylor of Lavender Hollow Farms in Escalon.

Kitchen Garden Planning With Carol Paras - Saturday, April 12th - 11:00 am / What could be better than fresh from your own garden?

Container Garden Demo & Workshop - Saturday, April 19th / Learn how to effectively plant a container garden using the "Thrill, Fill & Spill" technique. Free Demo at 10:00 am - Plant your own container at the 11:00 am Workshop. (Purchase a pot & plants at 20% off)

Xeriscaping In Your Landscape - Saturday, April 26th - 11:00 am / Learn all about drought tolerant plants and native plants. Hosted by Peggy Barse of Two Hands Gardening.

May Calendar

Gardening For All Seasons - Saturday, May 3rd - 10:00 am / Kara & Diana will present ideas & tips for keeping your yard beautiful and exciting year-round!

Moss Basket Demo & Workshop - Saturday, May 10th / Learn how to make a hanging moss basket Scenic style! The free Demo will start at 10:00 am -the Workshop will begin at 11:00 am. Create your own hanging moss basket to take home. ($30 Workshop fee - Call to reserve your spot)

Organic Gardening Seminar - Saturday, May 17th - 10:30 am /Annie Joseph will be on hand to answer all your questions about going organic!

Floral Arranging - Saturday, May 24th - 10:00 am / Utilizing plants in your yard to make an exciting & unique arrangement to beautify your home. Hosted by Kara.

Irrigation Installation Seminar & Demo - Saturday, May 31st - 10:00 am / Learn the basics with Kham, a Garden Crew landscape designer. 

I am always looking for large and impressive trees to photograph. Usually when I see one My camera at least my good camera) is at home. A few years ago The Garden Crew did a project with a huge native oak. I have seen more massive trunks and main branches but this one is impressive. 

I took these pictures just after the January storm that toppled several trees including a 40 year old Honey Locust at my brothers house. As I was standing there my thought was that I would have stayed in a hotel during the storm.  As you can see thowner does have it looked after by pruning and cabeling to reduce the chance of failure.

I often get requests to install flagstone walks and patios with ground cover or ground cover between the stepping stones. In Modesto I almost never see this successful. Most often I see the ground cover have problems and become overwhelmed by weeds. Especially by Oxalis, Annual Blue Grass and Spurge.

 My read is that in the sun and heat here the ground cover gets stressed and thins out. This allows  the weeds room to come in.

 I have been using extra large stepping stones, up to 3x4' pieces, with 4-6" spaces between the stepping stones. I have a successful design that has gone through a full summer. The lawn has done well and so Donna and I are trying it at home. This is in an area where eventually we intend to place pavers for a walk way. In the mean time we are using these flagstone pieces as a walk way to our front door.

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   As we see the results I will report

One of our customers, Dr Paul Embree, brought in a plant he got for Christmas. Something called Wollemi Pine. When he brought it in he asked if I could ID it.

As I looked it seemed like a redwood, then again it looked like Podocarpus ,then again it didn't look like either. Basically I gave up and he told me.

Wollemi nobilis. This is a recently discovered genes and species that has been known form very old fossils 50+ million yeas old. It was discovered in a national forest in Australia in 1994. Surprisingly  it is just a few miles from Sydney australia. It reminds me of the discovery of the deciduous redwood in china in 1946 in a small valley.

Wollemi pine is actually most closely related to the Monkey puzzle, Bunya Bunya and the house plant Norfolk Island Pine. All three are grown in the Modesto area. The most prominent Monkey Puzzle is at the mortuary on McHenry Ave. Old and large specimens can be seen in Graceda park at the South end near Needham.

And now there is at least one Wollemi Pine

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Some information can be found at http://www.wollemipine.com/faq.php .A very limited amount of the trees are available in the US at here.

http://www.ancientpine.com/servlet/StoreFront

There are still surprises for botanists and nurserymen.

If you haven't yet sprayed your peaches and nectaries for peach leaf curl you still have two to three weeks to get it done. It has to be done BEFORE any of the foliage buds start to open. in our area this usually means before Feb. 14 th

We recommend MicroCop and Sta-Stuck for the best control. This is a fixed copper spray with a sticking agent that really works. You need to get each and every bud covered together with all the bark. 

 If you have a few misses we recommend you prune off any affected foliage. If you have a lot of affected foliage all you can do is fertilize and get the tree to replace the damage. There is no control after it starts.

I just got done spraying my trees so if you do this weekend you won't be alone.  You should do what I did not do, and spray at leaf fall, New Years and Valentines day for the best results.

 for a more complete spray schedule check out our care guides for our  recommendations 

Here at the nursery we can see the signs. Fruit trees are in stock, Roses are in stock and most of the bulbs have arrived. Shipments of fertilizers are coming in and we expect a container of pottery soon.

In the nursery we are seeing signs of the earliest spring blooming shrubs and trees. Forsytha is starting to pop buds, Carolina gessamine is showing some color. Camellias are starting to bloom. and our bedding plant department is starting to stir agin.

Now is the time to get ready for spring. If you would like to add some early spring interest now is the time to see what is blooming. It's time for your first fertilizing of your lawn. time for pre-emergent around shrubs and lawn.

Let's get Growing.

Bare root season is the time to come in for our complete selection. We do have most varieties available in containers but is at least somewhat more limited.

A new variety we brought in is an Aprium called Cotton Candy.

What is an Aprium? Well, it is a hybrid between an apricot and plum. If you thought a pluot was a hybrid between plum and apricot, you were right. An aprium has a lot more apricot genes and is very similar to an apricot. The advantage an aprium has over apricots is they are much less weather sensitive.

Cotton Candy is noted for being extra sweet together with the weather toughness makes for a nice addition to our apricot selection.

I invite you to come in and check out our selection of Fruit Trees, grapes and berries.

Here it is in december and in full bloom. Not as heavy as I have seen it during the year but still impressive. I have posted about Starry Night before but again it has performed wonderfully well.

They were pruned in January and we fertilized them with our six month fertilizer at the same time. They started blooming in mid April and still have not quit. They have NEVER been sprayed for bugs or disease.

Starry night is large for some uses and I am looking for additional varieties that perform as well in our climate and as I get better info I will let you know.

This winter The Garden Crew has plans to install more display vignettes to show what The Garden Crew can do and give you ideas for you to do. In addition to periodic maintenance and refreshing old gardens, The Garden Crew can do complete new garden installations.
In personal news, Donna and I are slowly making progress on our front yard remodel. You can check out our progress at www.scenicnursery.com under The Garden Crew section.
You can also see a picture of our twelve foot Puangyok Thai Pea Eggplant! Yes, twelve feet tall! I would like to say that it gave a crop in relation to it's size, but it set flowers late and the tiny fruits are still not ripe (as of early November). I have never heard or seen of an egg plant this size – how about you?